Simon KeefeDriving digital transformation through strategic product leadership.

Certified Associate
in Project Management

As Head of Consumer Technology at Rugby Australia, I lead the strategic development of all consumer-facing digital products across the Rugby ecosystem—from grassroots community programs to elite national teams. My role encompasses the full product lifecycle, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and stakeholder requirements.

I collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify market opportunities, translate business requirements into technical specifications, and oversee resource allocation and project timelines. I maintain strategic partnerships across Rugby Australia departments and our external suppliers to ensure seamless project execution.

Post-launch, I work closely with product owners and end users to drive continuous improvement initiatives. I monitor key performance indicators and user feedback to inform ongoing product evolution strategies.

Starting as a Senior Front-End Developer at Rugby Australia in 2015, I've progressed through roles as Digital Technology Manager and Product Manager to my current position as Head of Consumer Technology. This journey has given me deep expertise in digital product strategy, team management, and performance enhancement.

Core Skillset

Product Leadership
Web DevelopmentDev

Strategic & Leadership Skills:

Digital Product Strategy
Cross-functional Team Leadership
Stakeholder Management
Product Roadmap Development
Technology Leadership

Business & Operations:

Budget Management & Resource Allocation
Vendor Management & Partnerships
Risk Management & Compliance

Product Management:

User Experience (UX) Strategy
Information Architecture
Agile/Scrum Methodologies
Product Analytics & Optimization
Requirements Gathering & Analysis
Project Scoping and Quoting

Technical & Development:

Mobile App Development Oversight
Web Development Technologies
Data Analytics & Insights

Recent Experience

Head of Consumer Technology - Rugby Australia

March 2024 - Present (Current Role)

I direct Rugby Australia's comprehensive digital ecosystem, managing technology solutions that serve every level of Rugby, from grassroots all the way up to elite international competition. My primary objective is building robust, scalable systems that maximize user engagement while streamlining operational processes across all Rugby operations.

I've led several major initiatives that have delivered strong results for our organisation. Rugby Xplorer expanded internationally, bringing on New Zealand Rugby in 2024 after successfully onboarding USA Rugby in 2022. I drove the rollout of our new Learning Management System and launched Rugby Australia's "Video First" content approach, which significantly boosted video engagement across our Rugby community.

More recently, I partnered with Tixserve to roll out a new corporate ticketing platform that streamlined our partnership processes for this year's Lions Series. This also positions us well for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. These projects involved coordinating with stakeholders across different regions and required careful technical planning to ensure smooth implementation.

My approach centres on evidence-based decision making and ongoing stakeholder input. I ensure our digital solutions tackle genuine challenges while preparing for emerging needs. This forward-thinking strategy has established Rugby Xplorer as an industry leader in the Rugby World, creating tangible benefits across all participation levels.

Product Manager, Rugby Xplorer - Rugby Australia

February 2022 - March 2024

In 2022, I transitioned into the Product Management role, leading Rugby Australia's flagship platform, Rugby Xplorer. My development background proved invaluable in this strategic role.

Rugby Xplorer is a comprehensive digital platform serving fans, players, coaches, officials and administrators across all levels of Rugby Union. The platform enables competition management, club registrations, and powers thousands of websites from community clubs to national teams.

A key achievement was successfully onboarding USA Rugby in 2022, navigating complex compliance requirements and implementing significant platform changes to accommodate their unique governance structure. The platform launched on schedule for club registrations.

I also managed the High Performance Analytics Team, collaborating with coaches and support staff to deliver dashboards and reports for team selection, injury prevention, and match-day analysis—an exciting challenge that combined data insights with sport performance.

Digital Technology Manager - Rugby Australia

April 2019 - February 2022

To enhance the Rugby Network, I collaborated with internal and external stakeholders and development teams. I led a passionate team focused on leveraging technology to benefit fans and participants.

I was responsible for the strategic migration from Sitecore to KeystoneJS, a headless CMS built on NextJS, managing the development team. I worked closely with ThinkMill to ensure best practice implementation throughout the transition.

Despite COVID-19 disruptions, I led our team through the successful launch of all club and state websites during the tight window between the 2021 season wrap-up and the start of 2022 membership and registration campaigns. This was a major team win that showcased our ability to deliver under pressure while maintaining strong project coordination and technical standards.

Senior Front-End Web Developer - Rugby Australia

June 2015 - April 2019

As Rugby Australia's lead Front-End Developer, I collaborated with Accenture to deliver www.rugby.com.au in Sitecore, managing stakeholder requirements and ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery before the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Post-launch, I took full ownership of the site, facilitating weekly sprint meetings with business owners and stakeholders to prioritize and execute enhancement requests. I implemented improvements to both the public-facing site and back-end systems, optimizing workflow efficiency for our journalism team.

Between 2018-2019, I expanded the platform into the "Rugby Network", developing 22 additional sites including those for the Wallabies, Wallaroos, AU7s, Super Rugby Clubs, and Member Unions. This role required close collaboration with stakeholders across Rugby Australia and state/club organizations to ensure all requirements were met.

This work significantly transformed Rugby's digital presence across Australia, creating a cohesive network of professional websites that enhanced fan-engagement and organizational efficiency.